Hi, I’m Caryn Berger Brown.
I’m a lifelong Texan, raised outside of Houston and now living in Waco, where I still spend most of my time doing what I love best, cooking with a wooden spoon in my hand and a crowd in mind.
Deep in the Dish of Texas began in 2000, the same year I got married. I’d always enjoyed cooking, but once I was feeding a household, I really started stretching my skills in the kitchen. I cooked more, experimented more, and wrote everything down so I could keep track of my tweaks. This site started as my own kitchen notebook, a way to remember what worked and what I’d do differently next time.
When I started blogging and realized other people were reading and cooking along with me, everything changed. What began as personal notes slowly grew into a community, and Deep in the Dish of Texas found its place.
Putting the “kitsch” back in kitchen since 2000 has never been about trends or polish. It’s about leaning into what makes home cooking joyful. Colorful kitchens. Handwritten notes. Recipes that don’t need to be perfect to be good.
My love of cooking started with my mom, who was a wonderful cook. Her style leaned a little more gourmet, while mine has always landed squarely in the comfort zone. I cook food that’s meant to be eaten, shared, and remembered. I don’t count calories, I don’t chase food trends, and I don’t stress over perfect photos. I’ve always said my food might not look like much, but it always tastes good.
Even though this is a digital space, I’m old-school at heart when it comes to cookbooks. I love real ones. I collect them, cook from them, and read new cookbooks like novels, straight through. My shelves are overflowing, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Honestly, how can you tell if a recipe is any good without food stains on the pages and notes scribbled in the margins?
I’m most at home cooking for a crowd. For years, I cooked massive breakfasts and afternoon snacks for my husband Michael’s accounting firm at the end of tax season, sometimes feeding up to 100 people in a single day. My mom and friends would fill the kitchen to help, and it became its own kind of tradition. Every Christmas, I still bake dozens of cookies and candies to share with family and friends. Big-batch cooking is my love language.
Michael and I have raised two sons who have now flown the nest, but when they come home, I still cook big. Passing my love of cooking on to them has been one of my greatest joys.
Deep in the Dish of Texas is about cooking that makes you feel confident, nostalgic, and comforted. It’s about food with personality and stories, the kind that brings people to the table and keeps them there a little longer.
And yes, it’s always been a lifelong dream of mine to have a cookbook published someday. The kind you actually cook from. The kind that ends up dog-eared, stained, and loved.
I’m glad you’re here.
Pull up a chair.